The ability to run Android apps was one of the worst-kept secrets of the BlackBerry 10 platform. For most of BlackBerry 10's first year, you had to go through a complicated series of steps to "wrap" an Android app to run on BlackBerrys. The 10.2.1 upgrade in late January let BlackBerry's phones run Android apps directly, but BlackBerry kept the ability out of the release notes and initially didn't want to talk about it publicly.

Those days are over. "You can now go to an Android store as of 10.2.1 and pull down [application files] directly," said Chris Smith, Blackberry's vice president for its application platform. "In terms of an open ecosystem and an app and content story, we've had some challenges with that. We did a great job of bringing content for launch, but the reality is that there's a long tail out there and certain key apps we haven't been able to bring across, and that's held us back in certain markets," he said.

To demonstrate, he loaded up the Amazon Appstore on a BlackBerry Q10 by clicking on a button on Amazon's Web page. Within about two minutes, I had downloaded a game. Smith said that pretty much anything will work that isn't dependent on Google services, like Maps.

"The level of performance and capability of those apps is equivalent to what you would see on a stock Android device," he said.

BlackBerry might seek an even closer or more formal relationship with existing app stores, Smith said.

"We're still thinking about what the right experience is there, but we've definitely opened it up much more to the average consumer," Smith said.

Let's make one thing clear, though: this excludes the Google Play store, or any Google services. BlackBerry isn't Android, and the company isn't seeking the Google certifications needed to legitimately run Google's store and services.

Why BlackBerry Needs BB10

So why isn't BlackBerry Android, anyway? Smith said BlackBerry needs to maintain its own operating system to ensure the level of corporate security it requires.

"The reality is that security starts at the bottom, in terms of securing the hardware, and really builds in concentric circles on top of that. It's not that there aren't alternatives out there; it's that we have very specific intellectual property, working in the most secure environments in the world, and we have complete confidence in an approach where we have total control," he said.

BlackBerry is designed for business security, not personal privacy, though. When I asked Smith about Blackphone, the encryption-centric Android phone (video below), he said BlackBerry was trying to keep its eyes on the corporate prize.

"Our focus has always been working with our large enterprise customers and others in regulated industries. I think that's going to continue; the audience that the Blackphone is potentially going after is not our primary focus," he said.

With control over the platform, BlackBerry can also focus on plumbing in new features that its core enterprise customers want, Smith said. Expect to hear more this year in terms of optimizing battery life, text input, text management, and enterprise intranet apps.

"On the enterprise app side, unlocking all of those assets that enterprises keep behind the firewall ... there's a huge opportunity to unlock that and bring it down to the device," Smith said. Those enterprise apps wouldn't be Android apps; they'd be exclusive to BlackBerry, as they'd use BlackBerry's unique corporate security platform features.

Outside the enterprise, "battery life, the best possible input experience, managing text or moving text around ... those are areas where you're going to continue to see innovation coming from us," he said.

Not surprising BlackBerry chooses now to shout out about Android apps. Nokia just released phones that directly compete with the z3 unabashedly running their own Android app store, complete with Microsoft and Nokia services to fill in for GPS, and continuing rumors that Windows Phone now also about to be able to run Android apps.

I'm very concerned about that attitude towards the Black phone. It sounds too much like they attitude they supposedly took to the iPhone in the early days. They need to understand competition in the security space is a real danger.

I wouldn't assume that what was said in public and what is done in private are the same. I know plenty of people who worked at that company who paid lots of attention to the iPhone.. The perception that "they all ignored it and hoped it would go away" is ridiculous. In fact, the Storm coming out a year later points to the the real truth ... that they didn't ignore the iPhone, but that they couldn't execute well and that the platform was too old.

Some of these urban legends about BlackBerry ignoring thing get a little more grandiose over time. I've also seen people said they "ignored apps" (also BS - you could make BlackBerry apps with BlackBerry SDKs for years before there was an iPhone), and people say they didn't want cameras on phones until after the iPhone came out. LOL

Not singling you out and not suggesting they haven't made some mistakes, but the scope of the mistakes seems to grow as the legend does. ;-)

I would have an issue subscribing to Google Services, and would prefer BlackBerry use different routes to get the apps on BlackBerry 10.

Quality Poultry - Channel PIN: C004B64D1

Myself, I love Google Services. I'm not a fan of Android as an OS at all, but damn, I love Google Maps, Google Talk, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Mail etc. etc. etc. I'd love if I didn't have to jump through hoops in many cases.

I'm very concerned about that attitude towards the Black phone. It sounds too much like they attitude they supposedly took to the iPhone in the early days. They need to understand competition in the security space is a real danger.

I agree with RubberChicken76. That's a public statement that should not be confused with what they may be thinking internally. You always publicly highlight your product, and downplay your competitors - with class if you can, but downplay them nonetheless.

Also, we don't have the same people running the company that was there when the iPhone came out. So I'm sure the real internal response is very different.

It could very well be that Blackphone is going after a different market segment. It could be why BlackBerry is pushing integration into the enterprise so hard.

I haven't kept up with this Blackphone all that much beyond the basic headlines about it, but is it made to integrate into the enterprise well, or is it meant as a standalone device totally separated from anything and everything?

I'm very concerned about that attitude towards the Black phone. It sounds too much like they attitude they supposedly took to the iPhone in the early days. They need to understand competition in the security space is a real danger.

I get what you are saying bit at the same time I think John Chen understands that the company needs to be focused. You can't be all things to all people all the time. Enterprise is where they are strong, let's use the things are strong in to get back profitable. Then we can go after the other areas. I think that's the thinking behind the Z3 and Q20. Let's make sure that In chasing after who we want, we don't lose who we have already. The Z3 is aimed at a markets where BlackBerry has always been strong but started losing ground. The Q20 is aimed at the die-hard fans who said the Q10 is great but they needed a trackpad. That's the thinking with enterprise. They're more likely to stick with you for the long haul than consumers so lock that down first.

I agree with RubberChicken76. That's a public statement that should not be confused with what they may be thinking internally. You always publicly highlight your product, and downplay your competitors - with class if you can, but downplay them nonetheless.

Also, we don't have the same people running the company that was there when the iPhone came out. So I'm sure the real internal response is very different.

It could very well be that Blackphone is going after a different market segment. It could be why BlackBerry is pushing integration into the enterprise so hard.

I haven't kept up with this Blackphone all that much beyond the basic headlines about it, but is it made to integrate into the enterprise well, or is it meant as a standalone device totally separated from anything and everything?

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Even Mike and Jim took the iPhone seriously despite ridiculing it publicly. In the Globe and Mail story and the demise of RIM, Lazaridis was quoted as saying he bought an iPhone shortly after its release and tore it apart. He said he could not believe that they were able to stuff a macbook into a phone form factor. The whole "tools not toys" BS was just for public consumption.